Paulustor, Graz, Renaissance city gate in Inner City district, Graz, Austria.
Paulustor is a three-story city gate in Graz's Inner City with round-arched passageways and a triumphal arch design. Substantial sandstone elements frame the eastern facade and make the structure stand out from nearby buildings.
Built between 1606 and 1614 by architect Hans Bertoletto, this gate was part of the fortification belt that protected the expanding city. It reflects the building efforts of early 1600s Graz as the city developed into an important regional center.
Two sandstone cartouches on the facade display relief coats of arms of Archduke Ferdinand II and Maria Anna of Bavaria, created by Philibert Poccabello.
The building today houses regional government offices, so public access to the interior is limited. Visitors can best appreciate the gate's design by viewing the facade and portal from the outside to see the original 17th-century structure.
The second floor contains three ornate stucco ceilings from the 1730s with delicate banded decoration. The original wrought iron gate from 1614 still stands in place and shows the metalwork skill of early modern craftsmen.
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